Understanding Sex and Gender Diversity

By Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH on behalf of Sex and Gender Education (SAGE) Australia presented at the Amnesty International Global Human Rights Conference (part of the Sydney 2002 Gay Games conference programme) 31 October 2002.

Sex and gender diverse people are those who do not fit into the category of the average stereotypical male or female. I say average rather than normal because for all intents and purposes normality is a statistical average, but the phrase normal often carries with it a view of normalcy as the proper thing to be.

Separating out physical sex from gender performance also helps us to understand more fully the kind of human diversity that can occur. Some people are born with primary sex characteristics that mean they may have atypical genitalia that does not resemble a typical penis or vagina. There are also people whose gonads do not match their external genitalia and people who have secondary sex characteristics which mean that their appearance may be more masculine or feminine than a person who has the same reproductive ability as them. Some biological males can pass in society as females and some biological females may also pass as males.

When I refer to gender performance I am talking about the social presentation that an individual gives to the rest of society. Your sense of gender is how much male or female you put into acting out the person you are. It is also the mixing of the feminine and masculine or for some people the absence of those elements in their gender identity.

Although sexuality has a great bearing on person’s identity as a whole, their sex and gender performance is generally a deeper core identity and is not necessarily influenced by their sexuality. It is often a mistake to think that a person’s gender identity is necessarily primarily influenced by their sexuality, although it can be. You must generally first have a comfortable sense of your body and be able to express a congruent gender identity in order to assess how you can perform your sexuality.

The sex and gender diverse include any human being who does not comply to the average male or female interpretation of masculinity or femininity – for example an intersexed person who was born with both male and female sex characteristics or absence of both; transsexuals who were born appearing to be one sex but believe they are or feel compelled to live as another sex; the transgendered person who changes their body and external appearance to represent another biological sex and gender identity but identify with their original genitalia; the third gendered person who identifies as being neither male nor female but a third sex and gender; the androgynous individual who wishes to live and be accepted as both male and female sexed and gendered, the sinandrogyne who wishes to have neither sex nor gender identification but instead identifies as neuter; the victim of genital mutilation who after involuntary circumcision, castration or forced genital surgery cannot function to their own physical satisfaction; and those who through illness have lost or taken on feminine and masculine characteristics.

None of us are purely male or female, as we all have masculine and feminine characteristics both on a physical and mental level. Up to 2 percent of the population may have some form of intersex manifestation as either overt physical differences or diverse genetic coding. Our gender performances are specifically culturally and sub-culturally based because what is accepted as either masculine or feminine in one culture may not translate into another culture’s perspectives.

In many cultures having both male and female attributes has been prized throughout history like the shaman in Native American culture and the androgynous god-like figures of the east. In other cultures, deviation from the perceived norm has been demonised and interpreted as antisocial and criminal behaviour.

Prejudice against sex and gender diverse people exists in every society including gay, lesbian and bisexual subgroups. Some lesbians try to victimise and exclude women who did not have female on their birth certificates or who may have certain physical characteristics that do not display overt femininity. In many lesbian groups even the average biological female can be victimised and excluded for being too butch or too femme.

Men with female on their birth certificates can often be refused entrance to gay male places. The presence or absence of a vagina or penis is not necessarily a qualification of manhood or womanhood, but simply a contribution towards general masculine or feminine traits. “No Tranny Boys Here” is a policy of some nightclubs and gay male groups.

All over the world sex and gender diverse people are being legally and socially disadvantaged, discriminated against, excommunicated from their religions, attacked, beaten up, raped, sexually assaulted, murdered both in public and covertly, denied access to education, work, professional memberships, healthcare and social spaces. They often do not have recourse in law, are unable to afford legal representation, suffer persecution when complaining or the law simply does not work for them.

Sex and gender diverse people are often unable to change their birth certificates when at a later time in their life they discover that they do not transpire to be the sex or gender they may have been assigned at birth. They are also often denied the right to marry, to parent a child or collect pensions in many countries all because of their sex and gender status.

A major problem has arisen for many sex and gender diverse people who have failed to gain access to mainstream society because it often locks them into the poverty trap. Many end up in the sex industry and are criminalised and denigrated for simply trying to make a living. Sex and gender diverse people are also prone to high suicide and drug use rates and many, when involved in the latter, become more vulnerable to HIV infection.

Pushing people who express a desire to realign their sex and gender identity into psychiatrists’ models is an abusive absurdity. Holding them ransom to decisions made by authoritative clinicians on their behalf is disempowering and detrimental to their future well-being. The ethics committee of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, the world academic body of experts on gender dysphoria, is currently refusing to support a motion to stop clinicians making people wait unreasonable periods for psychological and medical help in defining their sex and gender identity.

Allowing medical doctors to make decisions about what sex a child should be and then operating on them to create alternative sex organs that comply with so-called normality is nothing less than common assault. Only the person themselves should make decisions about their physical future if their sex is not immediately recognisable at birth.

The caring professions, as well as being of great assistance to sex and gender diverse people in defining their identity, are also responsible for a profound amount of abuse against them. The medical model often ignores a person’s philosophical right to self-definition as it did when labelling Aborigines, black Africans and women as being less mentally capable than white people.

My own story is that within the past five years my colleagues in psychotherapy discriminated me against when I publicly came out in England as a transsexual woman in 1997. Although born with male on my birth certificate I transitioned to living as a female when I was in my mid teenage years. I thought after having lived as a woman for 30 years and been successful in my profession that I was safe to come out in public, despite having experienced much prejudice during my life.

The results of the discrimination ruined my practice in London Harley Street, and my partner and I were forced to sell our home. Although I won England’s largest sex discrimination case brought by a transsexual in the UK, I lost the battle for the toll on my life of fighting that case, which led to further discrimination against me that made it impossible for me for me to practise and live in England.

Now living in Australia and carrying out my lawful business as a psychotherapist I am being harassed by the Medical Board of New South Wales to stop referring people to undergo sex and gender realignment treatment. The prejudice that we, the sex and gender diverse, experience, I can tell you, seems to never end, nor alas will it ever end, for we will always be subjected to the subjugation of the majority.

The use of the words ‘transgendered’ or ‘queer’ to cover the range of sex and gender identities is also very damaging to the movement to unite the different diverse groups. Many people born with intersex conditions do not consider themselves to be other than the average male or female who may have a medical condition that unfortunately can also at times legally disadvantage them.

Many intersex groups become hostile when other groups try to label them with these terms and they do not believe that they are appropriate labels for them. The same happens with transsexuals and other groups who do not see themselves as fitting into these labels and they also become hostile and afraid of being singled out, identified and labeled as an alien kind of human being called transgendered when they believe that to all intents and purposes, they are in fact just ordinary people. Although certainly we are of the sex and gender diverse community together under one banner in order to increase political pressure for change.

Some grave mistakes have been made over the past three decades in trying to free sex and gender diverse people from oppression. The attempt to tie transsexualism, transgenderism and androgynous behaviour into the medical model has only added to pathologising sex and gender diversity. It seeks to excuse people’s diversity as a physical deformity. It is an indisputable fact that people can be intersex by genetics, genitalia, gonads, hormonal influences, brain difference or even illness, but we must also leave people freedom to choose their own sex and gender performance as a matter of human rights. There is no right or wrong about sex and gender presentation – simply variance.

Every human being deserves the right to live their sex and gender identity as they see fit. No other person has the right to interfere with that person’s sense of physical, mental, social, spiritual sex or gender well-being. Sex and gender need to be self-determining, allowing people to go about the business of their life in freedom, without the interference of the state or religion.

It would be naive to say that much of these problems could be solved purely by education alone, but that would not be realistic. The reality is that there are many people in the world who are malicious, overcompensated and just plain nasty; and in order to protect sex and gender diverse people, who are often vulnerable, the strong arm of the anti-discrimination law must but put in place and used with repetition.

Education, education and education is, however, undoubtedly the way forward so that we teach our children from when they are very small that there are many kinds of flowers in the garden and each has a right to sunlight. Political campaigning for change in order to attain equal rights for all sex and gender diverse people is also necessary to create legal statutes that will be relied on to set standards of justice. Since sex and gender people will always be a minority, it is important for those who can be the eagle eyes of equality to stand at their posts of vigilance and be the guardians for sex and gender freedom for all.

At Sex and Gender Education Australia (SAGE) we have taken it upon ourselves to go out into the political arena and lobby members of parliament to work towards changing Australian laws so that there can be sex and gender equality for everyone. The important thing to remember, though, is that in small numbers we stand alone and only by affiliation and world co-ordination amongst support groups and members of the sex and gender diverse communities can we have enough lobbying and educational power to make real and lasting changes. The most important lesson we must all learn is to work together towards our common goal, affiliate our organisations and pool our resources, so that many small voices become a real presence in raising consciousness.

Amnesty International members can help by alerting the sex and gender communities worldwide about abuse that is happening in their country. They can also help by including self-help groups and campaigns for sex and gender freedom into their Amnesty Internal core operations. Because AI is such a widely known and respected organisation on the world stage, the weight it can lend and the light it can shine onto injustice is very powerful, but only if its members understand the issues involved.

Only by sex and gender diverse people coming out of the closet and contributing towards their own fight for equality can the rest of the world see that is just another part of the human equation to be sex and gender variant. Diversity and variance needs to turn into pride in the sex and gender diverse communities in order for these people themselves to become strong enough in order to demand their own human and civil rights.

This paper was given on behalf of SAGE Australia and as an organisation we encourage other sex and gender organisations nationally and worldwide to contact us to affiliate with us in order to fight for sex and gender freedom.

Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH, BHSc, ND, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist. Counsellor, PACFA registered Mental Health Professional and Naturopath In Sydney. You can get help by booking an appointment with her at Australian Health & Education Centre.

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DISCLAIMER

*Many factors will be important in determining your actual results and no guarantees are made that you will achieve results similar to anyone else’s. Because of the nature of therapy and the requirement on the part of each individual entering therapy to actively engage in the session and to carry out any additional recommendations outside the session, no guarantees can be made of results.

Testimonials*

*JJ, former long-term cannabis user

“I used cannabis every day for 36 years. I decided to make a change in my life. I came to see Tracie O’Keefe and the very next day I had a change in my life. I was able to stop using cannabis and I don’t have the same desires I had before for cannabis. I can thoroughly say that hypnotherapy has been effective for me, changing my life so I can have what I want and develop the confidence to have clean, sober relationships and thoughts.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Tom, former ICE addict

“Hypnotherapy changed my life. I had issues with substances, especially ICE. I tried lots of things to stop my use and it was finally through meeting Tracie O’Keefe that I’ve been strong enough to move on with my life and stop using. I feel much healthier, my breathing has improved, my life skills have improved, Everything in my life has improved.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Gary Stewart

"I quit smoking using hypnotherapy in 2010. I saw Dr Tracie O’Keefe for three sessions. Smoking was a big part of my life and I found that it was anchored to everything: driving, social situations. I was worried that hypnosis wouldn’t get rid of my smoking but I can honestly say after the first session it just didn’t occur to me to smoke cigarettes. So the three sessions really enforced it for me; it has been fantastic for me. I haven’t looked back since then and I’d totallyrecommend it for anyone who is thinking about giving up smoking using hypnosis."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Sage Godrie

"I’ve been working with Tracie O’Keefe for a couple of years now. I come to sessions in every 6 months or so and I’ve found Tracie’s sessions to be very, very helpful for me. I mainly get her advice as a life coach, helping me preparing my mindset for big events, attaining goals, just making the most of every opportunity really, and I found with Tracie’s help it actually helps to make things happen the way I want them to. She brings a lot of joy and she helps me to appreciate what I am about, who I am and that I have a purpose. And all the techniques are very easy to follow – they’re simple,but very, very effective."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Jenny McConchie

"I came to see Tracie because I was suffering from a long-standing anxiety problem. Since then, I’ve been listening to her Anxiety Solutions Hypnosis module recording on a daily basis and I’m feeling really terrific. I feel that my anxiety problems are a thing of the past. I really recommend to anybody suffering from anxiety that they go and see Tracie because she could really help."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Tanya Magnay Ravel

"I attended my hypnotherapy sessions with Tracie to give up smoking and I want people to have the opportunity to experience what I’ve experienced, which is the health and wellbeing for myself and my family, and my child that will be herein a few months. It’s been a life-changing experience and if you’re thinking of giving this a go, do it! Invest in it. Don’t listen to that voice in your head that tells you that it’s too expensiveor this or whatever. Make the call and book your appointment."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kate Hodges

"I came to see Tracie with a nail biting habit. I just had one session with her and I’m happy to say that the impulse seems to have gone. I feel more relaxed and calm. She gave me some homework to do which was excellent. And that was the one thing I think that I really got out of the session was not just to go away and expect one session to cure me but to actually put the effort into doing the meditationand relaxation between sessions. So I totally recommend the sessions with Dr O’Keefe – it certainly worked for me."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Collin Brown

"I came in here to get hypnotised to stop smoking. I didn’t believe in it and it actually works. I’ve stopped smoking for about two weeks now and still don’t have the urge to do it. I’m gobsmacked. So if you want to quit smoking try, it. It’s the way."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kamil Narayan, Sales Manager

"I came to see Tracie to quit smoking. I was smoking 15 to 20 cigarettes a day. And after my first session with Tracie, I stopped smoking instantaneously. I haven’t smoked for two weeks now and I’m still going strong. I love Tracie for helping me out because I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Collin, Car Mechanic

"I came in to hypnotherapy and I was an ICE addict. I turned a corner and I’m never going to go back. It's a life choice. It's a great feeling to know that you are clean and sober and Tracie helped me get there. The feeling you get out of it is more than any money or any high, anything. It's just a great feeling to have your family and kids back. It's just way, way better than anything else. It's just so good.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kim Beach, Consultant

"I came to therapy to improve my public speaking skills and to overcome the anxiety I felt before going on stage and talking. After one session, the feeling of being sick or hyperventilating has gone and many, many other benefits and changes to my diet and personal issues have resolved themselves. I'm feeling a lot better and I'm sleeping a lot better. I'm just feeling really great and ready to conquer the world!”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kevin, Van Driver

"I came here 2 weeks ago. I was addicted to marijuana for 5 years. Two weeks ago I came here and after that day I left and I never ever touched it again. I didn't pick up a cigarette which I have been smoking for 5 years as well. I haven't touched alcohol in 2 weeks so I feel like I've got my whole life back and I'm on the right track to going somewhere good and I just feel great.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Max, Plumber

"I came in to hypnotherapy to stop smoking drugs and cigarettes and it’s changed my whole life since I stopped. Since I've been here at Tracie’s clinic I’m really enjoying my life now. I've never enjoyed it as much as I have in the last 3 weeks than I have in my whole life. I never thought I’d be able to stop the drugs by myself at all, or at all entirely, but it turns out I am stronger than what I thought I was.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Justin Tan, Business Owner

“I initially looked up Tracie online and I researched a few places because I wanted to quit smoking. I don't know why I choose Tracie but I did and it has been amazing. It's been almost two weeks now and I’ve quit smoking. I still get a bit of temptation to want to smoke but I can control it and I have the power within me now to actually say 'No' and stop smoking. So I recommend Tracie and you should come in and give it a try."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Peter Ferrin, Construction Manager

“I was recommended to come to hypnotherapy by my doctor as I couldn’t give up the smokes. I can say now that I don’t want to have cigarettes ever. I recommend this to anybody. It’s not only going to change my life but I think it’s going to change the life of my family and people who are around me."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Sanjed, Corporate Executive

“So I came to see Dr Tracie O’Keefe for my binge drinking problem after work and going and smoking with friends after work and Tracie has helped me immensely in the last six weeks. I haven’t touched alcohol, I haven’t touched cigarettes in the last six weeks and I feel amazing, it’s very, very positive. And thanks to Tracie I have been able to make this, beautiful change in my life."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Chad McDougal, Train Controller

“My name is Chad, I came here to see Tracie to quit smoking. This is my second session and I can happily say I am a non-smoker. Looking forward to a better life in the future."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Daniel Matthews, Technical Controller

“Basically, I came in to see Tracie because I was suffering from IBS and anxiety which was basically taking control of my life and within three short visits, basically no drugs required and here I am back in the world so fully recommended and you don’t need to go and do all of this other business that everyone says you need to do, when really a couple sessions with Tracie and you’re back into life again."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Mark Lawson, Sales Engineer

“I’ve tried to give up smoking on my own on numerous occasions. My last attempt was to come and see Dr Tracie two weeks ago. After my first visit I walked out intending to never have a cigarette again. This is my second follow-up visit to re-ensure that the smoking is now gone completely. Thank you very much.

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Nedean O'Keefe, Visual Arts Teacher

“I was quite ill and my lungs were a mess. I had difficulty giving up smoking and was finding it too hard to do on my own. So I came here and got hypnotised and the minute I walked out, I was a non-smoker and I've continued to be for weeks now and hopefully for the rest of the future. It was a very good treatment."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Bradley Academic

“I came in to see Tracie as I have been through a number of fairly traumatic events. And I kind of lost my sense of purpose and way. I was drinking too much, I was very anxious and stressed and I lost all sense of direction. Pretty much one session with Tracie put me back on a really strong path and gave me some real clarity and great sense of purpose and negated all the need for intoxicants as well. She has been great!"

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Margaret Personal Assistant

“I came to see Dr Tracie O'Keefe predominantly for weight loss and alcohol consumption as I’d gained 18 kilos over a two-year period. I was feeling quite depressed. I am back in Tracie's office today after two weeks and I'm feeling amazing. I couldn't imagine I’d be feeling this good. I’ve lost 4 kilos in two weeks and after not having alcohol and caffeine, I'm very much looking forward to continuing on a clean and sober life and to see how far I can go. I really truly recommend to anybody who has issues to come and open their mind and see what's out there."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Paul Thompson, Plasterer

“I came to hypnotherapy with Tracie. I wasn’t sleeping for a long time and since I got hypnotised the first time, I’ve been sleeping very well. There were only two nights I had a little bit of a problem but I still remained calm. I always felt confident I was going to sleep whereas before I was never confident I could sleep. So it’s very highly recommended from me. "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Jennifer, Accounts Manager

“I came to Tracie because I've been to her for another issue previously and had a lot of success so I came to see her this time because I was drinking too much red wine – anything between 5 and 7 nights a week and I wanted to stop that. I’ve had a lot of success already. In a very short timeframe, I feel really empowered and energetic already and excited about my life moving forward without any wine in it. "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*John Kamleitner, Financial Controller

“I've been a smoker for 40 years and I was talking to a friend of mine who had received some treatment from Tracie about 8 years ago. He explained to me that the treatment helped him to get off cigarettes. I thought that would be a big challenge for me because I’ve been smoking for 40 odd years. But I took that opportunity and I'm so glad I did because I tried many different methods and none of them worked but I've been here now, this the second time I've come – it’s been a 2-week program for me and it has just worked beautifully. Even people I come across now, friends and colleagues who are smokers are quite amazed with what's happened and so I've encouraged them to seek the same treatment. I highly recommend it."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Lauren Branciamore, Hairdresser

“I was a social smoker for a number of years. I’m a mum of two and it was starting really to get on my nerves that I couldn’t have a drink without my little friend – a pack of cigarettes – at the same time. So I came to see Tracie. We had a session and I can honestly say, hand on heart, I'm no longer a social smoker or a smoker of any kind."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Bert, Plumber

“I came to see Tracie about 6 weeks ago. I was smoking 20 cigarettes a day. I was using drugs recreationally at the weekend. Six weeks on track I'm back into sports again. I am not going back to smoking ever again and I'm not going to any drugs. It completely changed my life. And I recommend it to anyone."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kevin Moran, Scaffolder

“I used to be a smoker, but I came to Tracie to quit smoking, but I don't like the word quit; well, not quite. I don’t like the word ‘quit’. You feel like you’re quitting something. I prefer the word ‘stopped’. I stopped smoking, which is a more positive term I think, and Tracie helped me to do that."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Adam, Architect

“I came to see Tracie about two months ago. I really wanted to cut down on my drinking. I had one hypnosis session and I gave up straight away. I haven’t had a drink for 2 months and I’ve been exercising every day. I guess I was what I call a night-time drinker so I never drank during the day but it was something I wanted to do when the kids went to bed. But I felt it was slipping out of control and after just one session I’m back to normal now. Everything’s great! "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Claire, Home Maker

“I’m an alcoholic. It’s taken me a lot of time to actually admit that about myself to anyone else. I’ve tried a lot of things, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve tried programs where you live in. I did them but I went back to drinking again afterwards. But I got a lot from Tracie. She gave me ideas. I couldn’t be more happy."

Results may vary according to the individual.

* Burzin Mehta, Digital Marketer

“I came here to Dr Tracie to quit smoking. I’d been smoking for 15 years and it was really a drag on my life. I decided to take the step to quit smoking. I’ve never felt freer. I feel like the shackles have been removed, and I feel like there’s hope for me to stop smoking for the rest of my life."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kristiane Heidrich, midwife

“I came to no longer have my little cigarette at the end of the day which I loved. After one session, basically a switch has been switching in my head and I feel that no longer defines me and I no longer need it. So I’m very happy!"

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Natalie Woods, Manager

“I came to see Tracie to quit smoking. I came to two sessions. After the first session, I successfully stopped smoking but I also got to take away a lot more from Tracie than I thought I would in terms of my health and in terms of strategies going forward. So I'm very happy about what I changed in in coming to see Tracie."

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DISCLAIMER

*Many factors will be important in determining your actual results and no guarantees are made that you will achieve results similar to anyone else’s. Because of the nature of therapy and the requirement on the part of each individual entering therapy to actively engage in the session and to carry out any additional recommendations outside the session, no guarantees can be made of results.

Testimonials*

*JJ, former long-term cannabis user

“I used cannabis every day for 36 years. I decided to make a change in my life. I came to see Tracie O’Keefe and the very next day I had a change in my life. I was able to stop using cannabis and I don’t have the same desires I had before for cannabis. I can thoroughly say that hypnotherapy has been effective for me, changing my life so I can have what I want and develop the confidence to have clean, sober relationships and thoughts.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Tom, former ICE addict

“Hypnotherapy changed my life. I had issues with substances, especially ICE. I tried lots of things to stop my use and it was finally through meeting Tracie O’Keefe that I’ve been strong enough to move on with my life and stop using. I feel much healthier, my breathing has improved, my life skills have improved, Everything in my life has improved.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Gary Stewart

"I quit smoking using hypnotherapy in 2010. I saw Dr Tracie O’Keefe for three sessions. Smoking was a big part of my life and I found that it was anchored to everything: driving, social situations. I was worried that hypnosis wouldn’t get rid of my smoking but I can honestly say after the first session it just didn’t occur to me to smoke cigarettes. So the three sessions really enforced it for me; it has been fantastic for me. I haven’t looked back since then and I’d totallyrecommend it for anyone who is thinking about giving up smoking using hypnosis."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Sage Godrie

"I’ve been working with Tracie O’Keefe for a couple of years now. I come to sessions in every 6 months or so and I’ve found Tracie’s sessions to be very, very helpful for me. I mainly get her advice as a life coach, helping me preparing my mindset for big events, attaining goals, just making the most of every opportunity really, and I found with Tracie’s help it actually helps to make things happen the way I want them to. She brings a lot of joy and she helps me to appreciate what I am about, who I am and that I have a purpose. And all the techniques are very easy to follow – they’re simple,but very, very effective."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Jenny McConchie

"I came to see Tracie because I was suffering from a long-standing anxiety problem. Since then, I’ve been listening to her Anxiety Solutions Hypnosis module recording on a daily basis and I’m feeling really terrific. I feel that my anxiety problems are a thing of the past. I really recommend to anybody suffering from anxiety that they go and see Tracie because she could really help."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Tanya Magnay Ravel

"I attended my hypnotherapy sessions with Tracie to give up smoking and I want people to have the opportunity to experience what I’ve experienced, which is the health and wellbeing for myself and my family, and my child that will be herein a few months. It’s been a life-changing experience and if you’re thinking of giving this a go, do it! Invest in it. Don’t listen to that voice in your head that tells you that it’s too expensiveor this or whatever. Make the call and book your appointment."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kate Hodges

"I came to see Tracie with a nail biting habit. I just had one session with her and I’m happy to say that the impulse seems to have gone. I feel more relaxed and calm. She gave me some homework to do which was excellent. And that was the one thing I think that I really got out of the session was not just to go away and expect one session to cure me but to actually put the effort into doing the meditationand relaxation between sessions. So I totally recommend the sessions with Dr O’Keefe – it certainly worked for me."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Collin Brown

"I came in here to get hypnotised to stop smoking. I didn’t believe in it and it actually works. I’ve stopped smoking for about two weeks now and still don’t have the urge to do it. I’m gobsmacked. So if you want to quit smoking try, it. It’s the way."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kamil Narayan, Sales Manager

"I came to see Tracie to quit smoking. I was smoking 15 to 20 cigarettes a day. And after my first session with Tracie, I stopped smoking instantaneously. I haven’t smoked for two weeks now and I’m still going strong. I love Tracie for helping me out because I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Collin, Car Mechanic

"I came in to hypnotherapy and I was an ICE addict. I turned a corner and I’m never going to go back. It's a life choice. It's a great feeling to know that you are clean and sober and Tracie helped me get there. The feeling you get out of it is more than any money or any high, anything. It's just a great feeling to have your family and kids back. It's just way, way better than anything else. It's just so good.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kim Beach, Consultant

"I came to therapy to improve my public speaking skills and to overcome the anxiety I felt before going on stage and talking. After one session, the feeling of being sick or hyperventilating has gone and many, many other benefits and changes to my diet and personal issues have resolved themselves. I'm feeling a lot better and I'm sleeping a lot better. I'm just feeling really great and ready to conquer the world!”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kevin, Van Driver

"I came here 2 weeks ago. I was addicted to marijuana for 5 years. Two weeks ago I came here and after that day I left and I never ever touched it again. I didn't pick up a cigarette which I have been smoking for 5 years as well. I haven't touched alcohol in 2 weeks so I feel like I've got my whole life back and I'm on the right track to going somewhere good and I just feel great.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Max, Plumber

"I came in to hypnotherapy to stop smoking drugs and cigarettes and it’s changed my whole life since I stopped. Since I've been here at Tracie’s clinic I’m really enjoying my life now. I've never enjoyed it as much as I have in the last 3 weeks than I have in my whole life. I never thought I’d be able to stop the drugs by myself at all, or at all entirely, but it turns out I am stronger than what I thought I was.”

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Justin Tan, Business Owner

“I initially looked up Tracie online and I researched a few places because I wanted to quit smoking. I don't know why I choose Tracie but I did and it has been amazing. It's been almost two weeks now and I’ve quit smoking. I still get a bit of temptation to want to smoke but I can control it and I have the power within me now to actually say 'No' and stop smoking. So I recommend Tracie and you should come in and give it a try."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Peter Ferrin, Construction Manager

“I was recommended to come to hypnotherapy by my doctor as I couldn’t give up the smokes. I can say now that I don’t want to have cigarettes ever. I recommend this to anybody. It’s not only going to change my life but I think it’s going to change the life of my family and people who are around me."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Sanjed, Corporate Executive

“So I came to see Dr Tracie O’Keefe for my binge drinking problem after work and going and smoking with friends after work and Tracie has helped me immensely in the last six weeks. I haven’t touched alcohol, I haven’t touched cigarettes in the last six weeks and I feel amazing, it’s very, very positive. And thanks to Tracie I have been able to make this, beautiful change in my life."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Chad McDougal, Train Controller

“My name is Chad, I came here to see Tracie to quit smoking. This is my second session and I can happily say I am a non-smoker. Looking forward to a better life in the future."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Daniel Matthews, Technical Controller

“Basically, I came in to see Tracie because I was suffering from IBS and anxiety which was basically taking control of my life and within three short visits, basically no drugs required and here I am back in the world so fully recommended and you don’t need to go and do all of this other business that everyone says you need to do, when really a couple sessions with Tracie and you’re back into life again."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Mark Lawson, Sales Engineer

“I’ve tried to give up smoking on my own on numerous occasions. My last attempt was to come and see Dr Tracie two weeks ago. After my first visit I walked out intending to never have a cigarette again. This is my second follow-up visit to re-ensure that the smoking is now gone completely. Thank you very much.

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Nedean O'Keefe, Visual Arts Teacher

“I was quite ill and my lungs were a mess. I had difficulty giving up smoking and was finding it too hard to do on my own. So I came here and got hypnotised and the minute I walked out, I was a non-smoker and I've continued to be for weeks now and hopefully for the rest of the future. It was a very good treatment."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Bradley Academic

“I came in to see Tracie as I have been through a number of fairly traumatic events. And I kind of lost my sense of purpose and way. I was drinking too much, I was very anxious and stressed and I lost all sense of direction. Pretty much one session with Tracie put me back on a really strong path and gave me some real clarity and great sense of purpose and negated all the need for intoxicants as well. She has been great!"

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Margaret Personal Assistant

“I came to see Dr Tracie O'Keefe predominantly for weight loss and alcohol consumption as I’d gained 18 kilos over a two-year period. I was feeling quite depressed. I am back in Tracie's office today after two weeks and I'm feeling amazing. I couldn't imagine I’d be feeling this good. I’ve lost 4 kilos in two weeks and after not having alcohol and caffeine, I'm very much looking forward to continuing on a clean and sober life and to see how far I can go. I really truly recommend to anybody who has issues to come and open their mind and see what's out there."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Paul Thompson, Plasterer

“I came to hypnotherapy with Tracie. I wasn’t sleeping for a long time and since I got hypnotised the first time, I’ve been sleeping very well. There were only two nights I had a little bit of a problem but I still remained calm. I always felt confident I was going to sleep whereas before I was never confident I could sleep. So it’s very highly recommended from me. "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Jennifer, Accounts Manager

“I came to Tracie because I've been to her for another issue previously and had a lot of success so I came to see her this time because I was drinking too much red wine – anything between 5 and 7 nights a week and I wanted to stop that. I’ve had a lot of success already. In a very short timeframe, I feel really empowered and energetic already and excited about my life moving forward without any wine in it. "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*John Kamleitner, Financial Controller

“I've been a smoker for 40 years and I was talking to a friend of mine who had received some treatment from Tracie about 8 years ago. He explained to me that the treatment helped him to get off cigarettes. I thought that would be a big challenge for me because I’ve been smoking for 40 odd years. But I took that opportunity and I'm so glad I did because I tried many different methods and none of them worked but I've been here now, this the second time I've come – it’s been a 2-week program for me and it has just worked beautifully. Even people I come across now, friends and colleagues who are smokers are quite amazed with what's happened and so I've encouraged them to seek the same treatment. I highly recommend it."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Lauren Branciamore, Hairdresser

“I was a social smoker for a number of years. I’m a mum of two and it was starting really to get on my nerves that I couldn’t have a drink without my little friend – a pack of cigarettes – at the same time. So I came to see Tracie. We had a session and I can honestly say, hand on heart, I'm no longer a social smoker or a smoker of any kind."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Bert, Plumber

“I came to see Tracie about 6 weeks ago. I was smoking 20 cigarettes a day. I was using drugs recreationally at the weekend. Six weeks on track I'm back into sports again. I am not going back to smoking ever again and I'm not going to any drugs. It completely changed my life. And I recommend it to anyone."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kevin Moran, Scaffolder

“I used to be a smoker, but I came to Tracie to quit smoking, but I don't like the word quit; well, not quite. I don’t like the word ‘quit’. You feel like you’re quitting something. I prefer the word ‘stopped’. I stopped smoking, which is a more positive term I think, and Tracie helped me to do that."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Adam, Architect

“I came to see Tracie about two months ago. I really wanted to cut down on my drinking. I had one hypnosis session and I gave up straight away. I haven’t had a drink for 2 months and I’ve been exercising every day. I guess I was what I call a night-time drinker so I never drank during the day but it was something I wanted to do when the kids went to bed. But I felt it was slipping out of control and after just one session I’m back to normal now. Everything’s great! "

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Claire, Home Maker

“I’m an alcoholic. It’s taken me a lot of time to actually admit that about myself to anyone else. I’ve tried a lot of things, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve tried programs where you live in. I did them but I went back to drinking again afterwards. But I got a lot from Tracie. She gave me ideas. I couldn’t be more happy."

Results may vary according to the individual.

* Burzin Mehta, Digital Marketer

“I came here to Dr Tracie to quit smoking. I’d been smoking for 15 years and it was really a drag on my life. I decided to take the step to quit smoking. I’ve never felt freer. I feel like the shackles have been removed, and I feel like there’s hope for me to stop smoking for the rest of my life."

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Kristiane Heidrich, midwife

“I came to no longer have my little cigarette at the end of the day which I loved. After one session, basically a switch has been switching in my head and I feel that no longer defines me and I no longer need it. So I’m very happy!"

Results may vary according to the individual.

*Natalie Woods, Manager

“I came to see Tracie to quit smoking. I came to two sessions. After the first session, I successfully stopped smoking but I also got to take away a lot more from Tracie than I thought I would in terms of my health and in terms of strategies going forward. So I'm very happy about what I changed in in coming to see Tracie."

Results may vary according to the individual.

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